The present invention relates to apparatus for baling sheets, especially folded newspapers, magazines, periodicals and the like. More particularly, the invention relates improvements in apparatus of the type wherein newspapers or the like (hereinafter called sheets for short) are folded, stacked and thereupon tied with a cord or the like to convert successive stacks into bales which are capable of standing mechanical treatment, e.g., during transport into and/or in a packing machine.
In accordance with a presently known technique, sheets (e.g., newspapers each of which has been folded three times) are piled up into relatively low stacks which are transferred by hand onto pallets serving for transport of stacked sheets into a baling machine. Such procedure is followed regardless of whether the sheets constitute relatively thick newspapers or relatively thin newspapers or brochures wherein the pages are held together by staples or the like. The reason for the palletizing of stacks is that a relatively tall stack of folded newspapers or the like cannot be transported by belt or chain conveyors since any, even minor, shaking of the conveyor can result in deformation and/or falling apart of the stack. The stacks on the aforementioned pallets are piled up on top of each other in the baling machine to form larger stacks which are thereupon tied by cords, bands or the like to form bales capable of standing transport by means of belt or chain conveyors and/or other treatment which, in the absence of baling, would result in collapsing or deformation of stacks.